I write about the television business. Why networks cancel your favorite shows, why sure things don’t go to series, why the Nielsen ratings still matter, if it concerns the small screen, it concerns me too. I've studied media since college and have been covering television since 2009 for sites such as FilmSchoolRejects.com and ScreenInvasion.com. In that time I've learned it’s one of the most fascinating entertainment mediums to explore. It’s a medium that runs a million miles a minute where one week’s smash hit can be another week’s failure. It takes a trained eye to understand its complexity, and that’s what I intend to do.

The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

'Orphan Black' Has Made Canada A Player On The Global Television Stage

During the writers’ strike in 2008, CBSCBS made a bold move and opted to purchase the rights to a Canadian drama, but not just any Canadian drama. The thing that made this Canadian drama special was it had no qualms about letting the world know its nationality. Where typical American strategy said to never reveal the city a show takes place in if that city isn’t stateside, CBS chose to air the program as is. That series was Flashpoint, and it opened the flood-gates to Canadian television on U.S. broadcast networks. Since then, shows like Rookie Blue, Continuum, The Listener and Motive all took the leap stateside without compromising their national roots. Canadian flags are on display, cities likes Vancouver and Toronto are name dropped frequently, but while that’s all well and good, Canadian television has yet to have a show breakout into the cultural consciousness. That is until BBC America and Space came along and changed everything with their pop-culture phenomenon, Orphan Black.

While it has some of the weakest Nielsen ratings of any show to be imported south of the border, Orphan Black has become a global phenomenon. Thanks to that, Canada’s now been placed in the spotlight of the television conversation along with the U.S. and U.K., a position it’s never been in before. Tatiana Maslany’s been nominated for and won several awards, the show has gained a fan base on the level of Doctor Who in terms of dedication; it’s an unstoppable series that’s proven something an entire country has known for years: Canada is ready to play with the big boys.

Thanks to Orphan Black,what’s happening now is networks are in active search of series that can be imported from the country to fill scheduling gaps, as well as looking for shows they can get in on the ground floor of, and it’s not just about dramas anymore. The CW will be premiering the Canadian sitcom Seedlater this summer, which will make it one of the first homegrown Canadian comedies to make it to a major U.S. broadcaster. Where once the Canadian-American relationship was all about exporting television north of the border, things have evolved into a more mutually beneficial (and more financially viable) partnership.

Partially fueled by a demand for content in the ever expanding market of global syndication, partially fueled by Canada’s desire for more homegrown content – already the country has two new series in development from Flashpoint creators Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern on two different networks – the outpouring of localized media has given the great white north eyeballs it’s never had before. No longer does the country have to hide its roots. Like the U.K., it can now be free to express itself culturally through its art, and have the rest of the world tune in and thoughtfully engage.

Thanks to the sheer magnitude of Orphan Black’s impact on the global stage, Canada can now call itself a player in the television game. That isn’t to say the country wasn’t trying in the past, and most certainly the door was initially cracked thanks to programs such as Flashpoint and Rookie Blue. But after spending years trying to stake a claim, Canada’s finally done so with its clone drama. Thanks to a commanding performance by a formally unknown actress that’s set audiences on fire, Canada can hold its head up high knowing it no longer has to rely on the rest of the world for content. Rather, the rest of the world has to rely on it.

In a time where HBO globally premieres Game of Thrones in hopes of curbing international pirating, the television business is not what it once was. There was a time when the small screen had only two world-wide players: The U.S. and The U.K.. Those days are over, and rest assured Canada is just the first in a long line of countries that will now begin sharing their homegrown content with the world.

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